


A hop, skip, and a jump

by SecondStarOnTheLeft



Series: Good Intentions 2020 [4]
Category: Old Kingdom - Garth Nix
Genre: Abandoned Work - Unfinished and Discontinued, Alternate Universe - Post-Canon, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-22
Updated: 2020-10-22
Packaged: 2021-03-08 18:47:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 415
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27151322
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SecondStarOnTheLeft/pseuds/SecondStarOnTheLeft
Summary: Neither one of them thought to consider that perhaps there had been something in the Royal Library that had triggered Sam’s uncle’s descent into madness, and him without an echo of the Destroyer in his blood.
Series: Good Intentions 2020 [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1978876
Comments: 5
Kudos: 14
Collections: Good Intentions: Abandoned and Unfinished WIPs





	A hop, skip, and a jump

**Author's Note:**

> I started this six years ago as a song fic, of all things, and have never really managed to get beyond this. The working title was "Greater Dead Nick," if that's any comfort!

It all comes down to this. 

But it started a long time ago, when they were innocent and victorious and there seemed to be nothing that they could not do. Nicholas was sweet and brilliant and hungry - for magic, for knowledge, for acceptance, for  _ her _ \- and the days were long and lazy-bright, full of learning and laughter and more joy than Lirael knew how to understand.

But it comes down to this.

* * *

Nicholas began looking further afield than the approved library in the Palace in Belisaere for information within a year of his arrival in the city - he claimed to have read every text on magic, and knowing him as Sam did and having seen him read as Lirael had, neither one of them doubted it.

Neither one of them thought to consider that perhaps there had been something in the Royal Library that had triggered Sam’s uncle’s descent into madness, and him without an echo of the Destroyer in his blood.

Instead they encouraged him - Lirael, when she had the time, shared with him the wonders of the Clayr’s Glacier and the Library which had been her home for so many years, her solace and her sanctuary and her only respite from being a Sightless Clayr. Together, she and Sam introduced Nicholas to the strange marvels of the Abhorsen’s House, the Library and Observatory. 

He devoured them.

* * *

How it never occurred to either of them that something was amiss, Lirael would never know. She supposed she did not truly know him as well as she had thought - and how could she, because despite loving him more than she had thought she would ever be able to love another person, given the relaxed attitudes towards love and sex and companionship in the Glacier, she had only known him for such a tiny time?

Sam blamed himself. He had known Nicholas for years, felt that he ought to have known something was wrong, particularly after the mess with the Destroyer, and yet…

Nothing. Maybe because nothing  _ had _ been wrong - Nicholas had continued to bring her flowers every morning when they were in the same place, had continued to play cricket with Sam every evening when the shadows stretched long on the palace lawns, had continued to spend an hour every afternoon being beaten horrifically by Ellimere on the tennis court.

Everything was normal, until it was not.

* * *

Nicholas fell and broke his neck on the stairs down to the reservoir.

He woke up the next morning.


End file.
